If there’s one genre that the Switch is not lacking in, it’s Metroidvania clones. At this point there must be hundreds of them. But the thing is, most of them are actually very good. Now here’s another one to add to the list with Intrepid Izzy moving over from Dreamcast and taking a slightly more physical approach to the platforming and exploration.
Izzy plays out in much the same format as every other game
in the genre. You explore, find new skills and then unlock new areas to
continue your adventure. There’s a host of arcade style mini games to distract
you as well, but basically you know what you are getting. If there is a more
direct comparison to be drawn then it’s with the Shantae series, as the look
and feel of Izzy feel closest to it.
It’s certainly a colourful game with bold and bright colours
used to create the various environments. Each area is distinctive from the
last in terms of both environment design and enemies with the snowy landscape reached
via boat being a particular highlight with the constant falling snow. Combat is
also satisfying with Izzy punching, kicking and throwing the occasional Street Fighter-esque
fireball to dispatch enemies.
If there is a criticism, it’s that the visual style verges a
little too close to looking like a flash game. While everything is colourful and the environments look nice, the characters are generic and lack
personality.
Overall, there isn’t a massive amount to say about Interpid
Izzy. It’s well put together and solid but it is going to struggle to stand out
from the masses of Metroidvania style games out there already. If it had
arrived earlier in the life of the console (or genre), it would likely make a
far bigger splash as there’s nothing wrong here and those who can’t get enough
will be well served. It just lacks that something to differentiate it.
Overall 6/10
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